10 great ideas for a toddler airplane activity pack (and other long journeys)
Since we travel a fair bit and have spent a lot of time on planes, I wanted to share some of my top tips on how to manage toddlers... Particularly on how to entertain those tricky creatures that are toddlers! So if you are packing for a long journey, be that for a flight, or a car journey, or a long train ride, here are ten ideas you could include in a toddler entertainment pack. (Here are my top tips on how to manage a flight with a baby)
These are the items I have found are the most important to include if you want your toddler and pre-schooler to be entertained throughout a long transit. I find it is good to include a variety of items, from different categories, as tots get bored so quickly.
1. Favourite plush toy - provides a buddy to cuddle if they are a bit scared and brings comfort in strange surroundings.
2. A tablet full of their favourite programmes or movies - My daughter
loves Peppa Pig and I have about three hours worth of pigtastic
entertainment downloaded on my tablet. I like to hang our tablet off the
magazine holder rack from its case so it works a bit like a TV. A great
way to ensure they stay still, at least for a bit. You could also
download some games and other apps to entertain your toddler.
3. A smart phone - it's a great idea to download loafs of kid-friendly
apps. Fischer and Price do some excellent and free apps for babies and
toddlers on iPhone.
4. iPhone case - with drooling babies and object-throwing toddlers, all
manners of bashes occur but a case will help protect your very expensive
phone. Ensures they are stuck on whatever app you have chosen for them as well and won't go on a picture-deleting rampage... Doubles up as an extra toy too!
5. A children's magazine - you can pick one up from the airport. There
are lots of different ones, and they provide hours of entertainment. You
often get stickers and some cheap plastic toys to occupy your child
with - bonus! We bought the Peppa Pig magazine for our Peppa-mad toddler
a while back and it has lasted us 4 flights. The Milkshake was a recent
PR sample, and would be great for past toddler-age as well, with
stories and a variety of children's TV references.
6. Crayons - to draw with and colour in the children's magazines! I
think these are great. No need to sharpen, don't make a mess and if you
get them on your clothing they should come off in a wash.
7. Finger puppets - something small and entertaining. Great to break out
for a little surprise when everything else fails. Hand puppets are
great entertainment as well.
8. A magnetic board - this is a brilliant addition to an entertainment
pack as it allows your toddler to draw anywhere, and you won't have to
worry about the mess or losing the crayons. Sometimes I draw pictures
for her, and sometimes letters and numbers if I want to make it a bit more educational.
9. Finger foods - Lots of little snacks, like raisins or
crisps, allowing toddlers to practice their pincer movement and finger
dexterity. As a bonus, this should keep them occupied and contented for a while.
10. A new toy -You could also get a toy at the airport, like a plane (very entertaining playing with a plane in a plane, their little brains will explode with excitement!). Or a train on a train journey, or maybe a truck for that long car ride.
Pack this entertainment pack in one bag, so it is easy to pull out
whenever you might need it. A basic drawstring bag works well, light and
you can close it so nothing falls out. A lot of these ideas work for
kids of all ages as well, not just toddlers, so hopefully you have found
some suggestions what to pack even if your children are older. Or, if you have a baby, do check out my top tips on managing flying with a baby.
Any other ideas to entertain your toddler on a long trip or on a plane ride?
I should point this blog post in the direction any of the guests who are coming to our gite in Normandy with young children as a very useful resource! #MondayEscapes
ReplyDeleteBrilliant :) I am glad if it will be helpful to you guys! I know how tiresome it is to travel with kids, every help is needed! :)
DeleteThat's a good list! We'd add more stickers...as I blooming love them...you're right and childrens magazine usually have a small selection...however they end up everywhere...usually on daddy's forehead! ;) #MondayEscapes
ReplyDeleteStickers are very every good forms of entertainment :) we stick them all over the place too, and definitely, the more the merrier :)
DeleteWe are going on a plane very soon and many of these things are packed already but some great tips and things I hadnt thought of too! #mondayescapes
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, I am happy if there was some new tips for you :) I know these aren't anything groundbreaking but sometimes it is nice to be reminded of all the possibilities in one post :)
DeleteGreat list. I've not seen one of those iPhone cases before. I ned one in my life! #MondayEscapes
ReplyDeleteIt is brilliant - I think it was Fischer Price that manufactured it. Mine is iphone4, but hopefully they do versions for the new iPhones now too!
DeleteWhen we fly with our toddler we bring LOTS of suckers and stickers! Those keep him occupied and quiet (as quiet as a 1 year old can be) but can be a little messy.
ReplyDeleteMorgan | theradwife.blogspot.com
Oh yes and suckers (lollipops) are great to combat blocked little ears and pain in ears too :)
DeleteStickers and sticker books are absolutely fabulous for a journey. I also had a big bag of those craft pom poms. My daughter loved them and you can sort them according to size or colour.
ReplyDelete#pocolo
Craft pom-poms are such a great idea! I think I will pack some too on our next trip, very light to carry and endless fun in separating them and putting them back into the bag :)
DeleteLiving overseas, we fly a lot too. I like the idea of finger puppets, something to try for our next plane journey in a few weeks time. Thanks for the tips! #binkylinky
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, I hope they help :) I like hand puppets too, they work great as well :) good luck on your flight!
DeleteGreat advice. My boys are a bit older but we are planning a trip next year and this is helpful starting point. Kirsten
ReplyDeleteI hope you will get some good advice from this post - some I think are good for older kids, like snacks and the magazines :) good luck with your trip next year !
DeleteWe're flying often between country we live, mummys country and daddys country. For excempel a trip to my home country can include already four landings, so we're used to airports. Under age of two our son is having 51 take offs and landigs and luckily thinks flying is mostly fun.
ReplyDeleteThis is not an activity pack but some tricks how we try to make flying fun:
1. Think what time of day it's best to fly. Tickets might be little more expensive in the time of day what would suit you best, but it might be worth of it. We try still to take longest distances when our son needs to sleep - it's good to use some of time sleeping in the airplane. And if possible, not too early or late flights when he's tired and crumpy.
2. Read and tell before flying about your trip. And when you're travelling, talk about things you have told before. At least our child feels broud when he can explain to me what he sees around.
3. Explain everything what happens even to a baby. They understand more you think and remember afterwards much more you think. That makes travelling easier next time.
4 Be in good humour and make a trip to an adventure. Your child is reflecting your feelings and if you think travelling is great fun your child is doing that also.
5. Have good time in airports, let your child to run and play. What is better than run in long corridors and have rides on escalators. You need to have lot of fun, not stress around.
6. Take with you some favourite and new toys, but remember it's almost impossible to pick them up if they fall down between seats in low-price flights. There is just not enough place.
7. Ask two pillows and planket in once when you go to an airplane if your child will sleep later. When you're already having everything ready you can make it easier your child to calm down. Toddlers are heavy - try to make your position also comfortable that you can hold your sleeping child.
7. Sing and play your childs favourite nursery songs, games and plays. At least our son can listen his favourite song thousand times without getting tired of it. Other passangers tolerate for sure better your singing and giggling child than a crumpy and impatient child which is kicking a seat front of him.
8. Take good snacks with you. Our son gets baby biscuits only in flight tours and that's something he's really waiting forward.
9. As a back up when you have already used everything you can to entertain your child have some favourite movies with you. Movies are not a magic what makes your child quiet when needed, but can work if it's not an only thing they can do.
These are brilliant tips, thank you for these! You can get lots of children's books about flying, I think they are excellent. We've never used them, as we started flying so early, but they are definitely worth investigating. Likewise, your own attitude to flying and travelling is one of the most important things :) we often let our child run around in the airport to blow off some steam before a flight, that's a great tip too :)
DeleteYes! We pack pretty much all of those! The magazines and brilliant and they always love the cheap plastic toys more than their expensive ones. Pair of headphones for iPad /inflight entertainment is a must now too. Thanks for sharing #pocolo
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet packed a pair of headphones but I think I will start - I am feeling a bit bad about either blasting Peppa Pig in a confined space or having it in silent so my daughter can't hear a thing :D
DeleteGreat ideas, we never travel long journeys without our tablet that's for sure! Popping over from the #binkylinky :-) x
ReplyDeleteYep, tablet is so useful (who knew when buying it that it would be mostly used by your kids ha ha) :)
DeleteWhat a useful post - I love how times have changed too. Such an eclectic mix of old and new! I bet our mums would have found it easier if iPhones and tablets had been around when we were small! Thanks for linking to #PoCoLo x
ReplyDeleteI am sure they would have :) but you can't beat some old time additions like proper toys and plain old entertainment like singing songs and I spy type of games :)
DeleteStopping by from #TheList. What a great idea - saving this for my next flight!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, glad if this will be helpful on your trip :)
DeleteGreat tips. A magazine and some stickers is always a hit - as long as they don't cover the plane in stickers! Thanks for linking up to the #BinkyLinky
ReplyDeleteHa ha exactly :) I always end up spending a fair bit of time cleaning up before we leave the plane :) thanks for hosting :)
DeleteWhat a great list of ideas thanks for linking to the binkylinky
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting :)
DeleteThis is fab and just what I need as we are taking Baby on a plane for the first time next month! Thanks for linking up to #TheList x
ReplyDeleteI hope your first flight will go well! I am sure it will :) Good luck and thanks for hosting!
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